What you may not know about Australia and New Zealand - part 2

Here we are with the second post about facts you probably did not know about Australia and New Zealand - in this post we will focus on New Zealand. If you missed our first post about Australia, check it out.

Waitomo Caves

Waitomo is amongst New Zealand's most tranquil areas and can be translated as the “stream which flows into the hole in the ground”. There are around 300 known limestone caves that lie beneath the hills of the region. Waitomo is world famous for the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and more importantly the New Zealand glowworm.

A glowworm is the larvae stage in the lifecycle of a two-winged insect. IT looks a bit like a maggot. A glowworm uses its glow to attract food and to burn off its waste. Its tail glows because of bioluminescence, which is a reaction between the chemicals given off by the glowworm and the oxygen in the air. This chemical reaction produces light, which the glowworm can control by reducing the oxygen to the light organ. Insects fly towards the light and get stuck in the sticky lines that the glowworm hangs down to catch food. Glowworms also use their glow to put other creatures off eating them.

If you are not a fan of worms, Waitomo offers other things, as well. Go for a walk and explore natural flora and fauna, or visit a local museum.

Rotorua

You'll smell Rotorua long before you see it. The distinctive smell of sulphur in the air is an unmistakable sign. Ringed by scenic tracts of bush, forest and farmland, Rotorua's Lakeland chain was formed and shaped by cataclysmic volcanic activity in times past. It isnot only a natural spa destination, but the heartland of New Zealand’s Maori culture, as well.

Auckland

Auckland, the biggest Polynesian city in the world was initially known as “Tamaki Makau Rau”, meaning a maiden with 100 lovers. Auckland has a perfect, 100 km of coastline and is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and it only takes four hours to walk from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea. Its Sky Tower is the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere (328 m)

Funny fact about Auckland: “pigeon post” is still considered an official posting service in Auckland and the rest of New Zealand. 

Queenstown

• Queenstown and the nearby region have featured in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 
• Queenstown is at a latitude of 45 degrees south.  Only two other countries in the world, Chile and Argentina, are at the same latitude.
• The Remarkables mountain range is one of only two mountain ranges in the world to run directly north to south (the other is the Rockies).  
• In 1885 all Queenstown hotels were run by women who all happened to be widows.
• The Shotover River is known to be the richest gold bearing river of its size in the world.
• Bungy New Zealand’s Kawarau Bridge bungy site (established 1988) was the first commercial bungee operation in the world.

Milford Sound

This is one of the most accessible fiords in the world with stunning landscape and cascading waterfalls.

With a mean annual rainfall of 6 813 mm on 182 days a year, Milford Sound is known as the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the world. The rainfall creates tens of temporary waterfalls (as well as a number of major, more permanent ones) cascading down the cliffs, some reaching a thousand metres in length. Smaller falls from such heights may never reach the bottom of the sound, drifting away in the wind. The sound's entrance is so hidden when viewed from the sea that Captain Cook sailed right by without noticing it when sailing nearby. If you are lucky, you may spot the dolphins in the water or Forsters fur seals lying on the rocks.

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro was the first national park to be established in New Zealand. It is known for its volcanic activity and two of the most active volcanoes in the world - Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe, so prepare for the barren lava flows and steaming hot springs.

Tongariro is also home to New Zealand’s only native mammals, the short and long tailed bats.

It is unusual to have a village within a national park, but Whakapapa Village was established early in the history of the park when it was still allowed.

Abel Tasman National Park

If you want to combine physical activities with relaxing on the beach, Abel Tasman National Park will be the right choice for you. You can hike, rent a kayak, and go snorkelling around the characteristic granite outcrops, swim in the transparent sea or just sun bath on the beach. 

Franz Josef Glacier

From its origins high in the Southern Alps, the Franz Josef Glacier descends deep into the lush rainforest of Westland’s National Park, from a height of 2700m above sea level to only 240m in as little as 11 km, making it the worlds steepest and fastest flowing commercially guided glacier.

While glaciers around the world are retreating, the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers still flow almost to sea level. The temperate climate at this low altitude means these glaciers are among the most convenient to visit in the world.

If you are excited about travelling Australia, check out some of ours holiday packages:

• Travel both New Zealand island by car
• Auckland, Waitomo, Rotorua and more – find in our holiday package
• Trip around South Island – visit Milford Sound, Franz Josef, Abel Tasman Ntl. Park